More policemen to catch robbers

At least 1,300 additional policemen will man the streets of Maharashtra to curb the rising spate of robberies.

RR Patil, deputy chief minister, said this was an attempt to strengthen the Anti-Robbery Squad of the state police.

"This will help control robberies in the state," said Patil during a press conference at Mantralaya on Thursday. More than 10 major robberies have been reported in Mumbai alone in the past two weeks.

Patil, who heads the state home department, has devised a plan to rehabilitate the Phase Pardhi tribe.

The police believe illiteracy and poverty often push members of this nomadic tribe — found in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh — to crime.

Patil said people from the tribe did not even appear on electoral rolls. "We have conducted a survey of the number of people belonging to this community and their socio-economic status. We have also made budgetary allocations," he added.

He, however, did not divulge details about the rehabilitation plan. "If people find out that the government is rehabilitating certain tribes, many migrants will come to our state to enjoy the benefits," he said.